I have a small kitchen. There's no room for essentials like a mixer, baking pans, even flour and sugar – seriously, my cupboard is my pantry. Which means I get it baking with the minimum. Alas, there isn't electric grill for me, or express carOR debug box. (Good thing I have a dryer …)
So trust me when I say that for a long time, I didn't even think about getting one breaking form for my baking. These round or oval-shaped containers, sometimes called insulating baskets or buns, are designed to hold the loaf-shaped dough as it undergoes its final rise, providing structure and support. “But I have a round bowl and a towel dusted with flour,” he mocked himself. “And my bread still turns out well.”
And they were just that – good. But were they great? No. And what's worse, making bread without brotform was unstable and stressful. The potential problems were many: Sometimes the tea towel I needed to line my bowl was dirty, or the bowl (I only have one that's even remotely the right size to act as a brotform holder) was already in use. Sometimes I dusted the towel with too much flour, which led to crumbly bits on the outside of the bread. Or I had the opposite problem: I used too little flour and the towel stuck to the dough, causing it to crunch and puff up.
Jennifer May
And of course, the whole process itself was a bit clumsy. The towel would wrinkle in places, causing splits in the shape of the loaf. And returning the dough from the bowl to the baking dish was a moment of panic: Would the dough stick? Would it tear? Would I have to slowly, carefully peel off the towel, praying to a higher power that everything would go smoothly?
I know I sound unnecessarily dramatic. But the thing is, I didn't realize it was that bad because I didn't know any other way. Until a particularly mushy, misshapen loaf of bread convinced me to finally get one breaking form, and I learned that a process that once felt so difficult could actually be a breeze. I just needed the right equipment.
Here's the thing about a loaf pan: It makes your baking easier and your bread better. First and foremost, a loaf pan provides a consistent shape and size for your bread dough. You don't have to think twice about whether your boat is too small, too big, too wide or too narrow. It provides just the right amount of support for your dough while resisting so that it rises up, instead of out, ensuring it has the height it needs for a long, well-shaped loaf. And unlike a towel-lined bowl, it's not messy. Just dust a very light layer of flour on the bread pan and your dough is ready.
Shosh magazine
Perhaps the biggest difference, however, is how it keeps the dough from sticking. Before switching to a brotform and liner, I thought using one would make my dough a little less likely to stick. I was wrong. It doesn't stick at all. All I have to do is turn the basket and my dough is gently but quickly released. And most importantly, it doesn't rip or tear anywhere, which means my loaves look amazing and get as much oven spring as possible. It even improves the score: During the final rise (especially if the dough is fermented in the refrigerator), the bannet effectively removes moisture from the surface of the bread. This makes scoring much easier and helps support a loaf with that firm hard crust. So far, my bread is much better and my life is much easier.
As a minimalist in the kitchen, it pains me to admit that you need a brotform. But it has really made a difference to my bread making practice and quickly won over the (small) amount of space it takes up in my kitchen. After all, baking bread doesn't require a lot of tools, so it makes sense to invest in the few that actually transform your baking, including a breaking form. If you don't have one yet and you bake a lot of bread, it's probably worth a place in yours.
Learn more about baking with a brotform and other types of proofing baskets: A guide to banners, brotforms and shopping carts.
One of the best breads to make with a brotform is Country bread. See how it's done:
Cover photo from Sift Magazine.
